In our previous fan features, we have told you the stories of life-long Hardcore Race Fans. Men who have had racing in their blood and a love for the sport passed down from generation to generation. However, not every Hardcore Race Fan is like that. There are many newer fans out there that are just as passionate and hardcore as the rest – and Mimi Hopson is one of those fans.

A nurse from Augusta, Georgia, Hopson has been following NASCAR now for roughly four years. While dating a former boyfriend, Mimi learned quickly if she wanted to hold a conversation with her partner she better learn a little about NASCAR.

Someone who likes to know everything she can about whatever she’s interested in, Hopson hit the Internet and the books soaking up all she could about the sport of NASCAR. Her former boyfriend was a Tony Stewart fan, so she picked up a copy of his book, True Speed.

After reading Stewart’s book, Hopson was amazed at the passion drivers had for the sport and the intensity racing required. “I was one of those people that thought it was just a bunch of cute guys that went left,” she admitted. Yet, after learning more and more about the sport she became hooked and quickly became a Hardcore Race Fan.

Unaware she was supposed to have a favorite driver, Hopson was forced to make a decision when her former boyfriend asked who she was going to pull for. Thinking of her favorite number, Mimi chose the number 12 car – at the time, Ryan Newman.

Much like when she was first introduced to NASCAR, Hopson hit the computer to find out everything she could about her new favorite driver. After learning more and more about Newman and his wife Chrissy’s charitable causes, Hopson became an instant fan.

“I really want to say Ryan and Chrissy Newman are my favorite,” Hopson pointed out, “because they make a great team. They really compliment one another.” She owns a copy of their Pit Road Pets book, and has purchased the Greg Biffle Foundation calendar for the past two years.

Mimi’s first race experience came as a gift from her brother after she underwent chemotherapy treatment. Unable to afford a ticket to the event, Hopson’s brother “pulled some strings” and got them VIP access for the weekend. The siblings were able to walk down into the pits, along the garages, see the haulers and experience NASCAR like never before. “I kind of felt like a queen for the day,” Hopson explained.

What stuck out from that trip to Atlanta for Hopson was the camaraderie of the fans. “It was almost like a huge family reunion,” she described. “Everyone shared a common love of the sport, even if they didn’t support the same driver they supported the same cause. We didn’t meet any strangers.”

During that same trip, Hopson was able to get an up-close view of her favorite driver, Ryan Newman. Wandering around the souvenir trailers, the two siblings came across Newman signing autographs for fans in his hauler. Refusing to get an autograph, perhaps because she was a bit star-struck, Hopson watched in amazement as Newman showed his true character.

“He was getting ready to leave and everyone began to clamor around saying, ‘sign this, sign this,’” Hopson recounted. “Then someone picked up a little boy and Ryan stopped and turned around. He signed an autograph for the little boy and talked with him for a minute.

“That showed the real character,” she went on to say. “You can be star-struck and enjoy the Hollywood pedestal we put the drivers on, but they’re just good people, doing good things, living good lives. With all the other commitments he had that day, that kid came first.”

These days, Hopson and her former boyfriend are no longer together, but she still adamantly tunes in each week. Although none of her friends like racing – and even make fun of her for doing so – she loyally follows the sport she can’t get enough of. She explained she had just made the switch to Dish Network and her two prerequisites for doing so were that it included SPEEDTV and Fox – you don’t get much more Hardcore than that.

MORE NASCAR NEWS